1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a data processing system and more specifically to a data processing system suitable for processing image information composed of a large amount of digital data indicative of an image including pictures and characters such as in a document or a drawing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The field in which data processing systems for image information of the above-mentioned kind is applicable is now expanding. Therefore, if document preparation, electronic files, mutual communications, etc. can be configured as a series of systems simply at a low price, it is possible to provide a data processing system useful for general business processing transaction in various fields such as office automation, paperless office, etc.
The image information of this kind, however, includes a great amount of information, about 100 times or more greater than that of the case where the general data coded into a predetermined code are processed (for instance, in numerical value calculations, data processing, word processing, etc.). Therefore, in digitally processing image information, it is necessary to adopt hardware having a throughput 100 times or more greater than that of the case where general data are processed. For these reasons, conventionally, there have been adopted various methods such that a special processor, a special hardware logic, or a large-scale electronic computer all designed in accordance with special specifications so as to be able to process a great amount of data have been so far adopted, while reducing the load applied to hardware by compressing data in order to reduce the amount of data to be processed.
In the case where the conventional method is adopted, however, there exist problems in that it is unavoidable that the overall system configuration of the data processing system is large in size, complicated, and costly.
To solve these problems, it may be considered that image information can be processed by the use of personal computers, mini-computers, office computers, etc. which are all available as versatile units. However, since these versatile units are not configured so as to process a great amount of data; since the processing speed is slow; and since these units have no processing capability to execute various tasks independently, it is impossible to process a great amount of data in a short time if the functions of these units are utilized simply as they are.